FREE THROWS: Kendrick Perks up Celtics

To what can the Boston Celtics attribute their return to form over the past two weeks, following a three-game slide after the All-Star Break? Kevin Garnett is finally 100 percent, Rajon Rondo is playing like a veteran All-Star and the Celtics recently shored up for the playoffs by signing two of the most sought-after free agents.

Comment

By TIM WEISBERG

southcoasttoday.com

By TIM WEISBERG

Posted Mar. 10, 2008 at 12:01 AM

By TIM WEISBERG

Posted Mar. 10, 2008 at 12:01 AM

HOT

MILESTONESCongratulations to the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, who passed 20,000 career points in Saturday night's win over the Grizziles, and Ray Allen, who suprassed 18,000 in the same game. It mus...

» Read more

X

HOT

MILESTONES

Congratulations to the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, who passed 20,000 career points in Saturday night's win over the Grizziles, and Ray Allen, who suprassed 18,000 in the same game. It must mean so much more to them to have the milestones achieved by playing on a relevant team, instead of where each of them were last season.

ROCKETS STILL BURNING

We reported on the Rockets' 15-game win streak in this space last week; well, it's now up to 18 games, making it the NBA's longest win streak since the Lakers won 19 in a row in 1999-2000. It makes Houston just the seventh team in NBA history to win 18 or more straight games, with five of the previous six going on to win the NBA championship that season.

BIG NUMBERS FOR A BIG WIN

The Celtics' win over Detroit on Wednesday night gave Comcast SportsNet a 5.7 household rating, the highest-rated regular-season Celtics telecast in the last 10 years. Through the first 54 games, CSN's ratings are up 107 percent over last season's numbers.

NOT

STILL TOO GREEN

When the Rockets traded guard Kirk Snyder to Minnesota and acquired hometown boy Gerald Green, everyone thought "G-Money" might finally have a shot to succeed when playing with his idol, Tracy McGrady. Instead, Houston released Green on Saturday to make room for newly signed Mike Harris.

LARRY TO BE CUT LOOSE?

Pacers co-owner Herb Simon recently spoke out about making big changes in the organization this off-season, saying "everything but the owner" will be addressed. Simon is no fan of the off-the-court issues his players have had over the past few seasons. Could team president Larry Bird, who brought in those players, be part of the housecleaning?

FREE AGENT ZERO?

Wizards star Gilbert Arenas, who is still trying to recover from knee surgery, recently confirmed that he still plans to opt out of his contract following this season. "Yes. I'm still gonna be the No. 1 free agent. I mean, on a bad leg I average 22." Meanwhile, the team that was footing the bill for his rehab can only wait for their top player to (hopefully) return.

» Social News

To what can the Boston Celtics attribute their return to form over the past two weeks, following a three-game slide after the All-Star Break? Kevin Garnett is finally 100 percent, Rajon Rondo is playing like a veteran All-Star and the Celtics recently shored up for the playoffs by signing two of the most sought-after free agents.

But one of the biggest reasons — and perhaps the most surprising — is the emergence of center Kendrick Perkins as one of the best big men in the East over the first 10 days of March.

Perkins has been playing the best basketball of his career all season long, but has really upped the ante over the past few weeks. After a one-rebound effort against Cleveland back on February 27, he responded by just missing a double-double with 19 points and nine boards against Charlotte. From there, he has rattled off four straight double-double efforts, averaging 12 points, 13.5 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in those games.

"Perk's been phenomenal," coach Doc Rivers said following Perkins' career-high 20 rebounds in a win over Detroit. "Not just his rebounds, but his defense. And we talk about it all the time: He did his job. He did what he does. Rebounds, blocked shots, he's starting to make nice passes in the interior. That's who he is."

There's no doubt the presence of veteran pickup P.J. Brown helped to motivate Perkins a little, but it's not the sole reason Perk has "perked" up. With Garnett finally rounding back into form following a nine-game layoff with a strained abdominal muscle, and Rondo upping his game in conjunction with the addition of Sam Cassell, Perkins is once again the forgotten man of the Celtics' starting five — a role that allows him to flourish under the basket. Defensively, with KG back alongside him in the post, Perkins no longer needs to shoulder the load in the paint and is most effective when playing as part of the Celtics' help defense.

Not coincidentally, the Celtics as a whole are also playing some of their best defense of the season in their current eight-game win streak. After scoring an embarrassing 77 points against Phoenix last month — on a West Coast trip where they allowed the opposition to average 101.2 points a game — the Celts clamped down on the defensive end, allowing an average of just 81.2 points in their subsequent winning streak.

If Perkins can continue to improve over the course of the season and avoid the injuries that have sidelined him in the past (plantar fasciitis and shoulder issues among them), he'll be the best center the Celtics have had since Hall of Famer Robert Parish, if he isn't already. The Chief came to Boston for his fifth NBA season, and even though he was already averaging solid double-doubles with Golden State, playing as part of the Big 3 helped him earn three championships with Boston and a spot in Springfield.

Perkins, now in his fifth season, is one of the role players alongside the nouveau Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. And maybe that makes him even more dangerous than No. 00.

Just like the Sam-I-Am of Dr. Seuss fame praised the virtues of Green Eggs and Ham, the Boston Celtics' own Sam Cassell arrived already taking large gulps of Green Kool-Aid.

The veteran point guard, decked out in green apparel, made no bones about the fact that he is here to back up incumbent starter Rajon Rondo, and that he's a big fan of the second-year guard's game.

"I understand what he brings. I'm not here to challenge for his job; I'm here to be his backup. I want to make that clear, first and foremost," Cassell told the media before Friday night's game against Chicago. "He is the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics. I may be the calmest backup he ever had in his career, because I don't want his job. I'm here to make his job easier."

Cassell has yet to play for the Celtics, but head coach Doc Rivers indicated he believes Cassell may see action tonight in Philadelphia.

Heat coach/president Pat Riley has had enough of the lackluster effort his team has put on the floor this season, while compiling a record of 11-50 and losing 32 of their past 35 games.

"I should write a check tomorrow to each season-ticket holder and send them back (their money)," Riley told reporters. "I should write the check back because I can't get them to play hard. They have a tendency to give in and not hold their ground, we've seen that a lot this year."

Riley also threatened to start shaking up his roster with hungrier D-League players.

"I have to ferret out the guys who really don't care. I have to ferret them out of here and (put) them on the bench and bring in a bunch of young guys," he said. "It's so unprofessional, it's ridiculous, but I'm the one responsible for it. I can't allow it to continue. I've got to get guys out there who might not be as good as the guys talent-wise, but at least they're going to make an effort."

"There will be a day of reckoning," he said about those players not giving it their all for a losing cause. "They'll be somewhere else."

While nobody expects Riles will actually blow up his team and fill it with Dwyane Wade and a bunch of 10-day contracts, he did say he's going to start skipping a few games to begin scouting potential draft picks. So it will be interesting to see if the effort increases or decreases in Riley's absence.

Tim Weisberg covers the NBA for The Standard-Times. Contact him at timweisberg@hotmail.com